Department Chair

James C. Fleming, MD, FACS
Chair, Department of Ophthalmology

A native Memphian, Dr. Fleming has been a full-time physician with the Department
of Ophthalmology since 1997, when he was recruited by Dr. Haik to head the Oculoplastic
Service. In 2003, he was promoted to professor and
appointed vice-chair of clinical affairs. Four years later, he successfully unified
a consortium of the Baptist and Methodist health care systems - competitors that almost
never work together -
and established the HEI ambulatory surgery center. He was named the Philip M.
Lewis Professor of Ophthalmology in 2008. On July 1, 2012, Dr. Fleming became the
sixth chair in the department's 101-year history.

"Barrett has developed a group of people that have a great core value set," Dr. Fleming
stated. "The primary job of chairman here is to continue to grow those core values."
Those include
giving patients the finest care that ophthalmology has to offer, providing the
best education possible for future generations of ophthalmologists, recruiting top
vision scientists, fostering a
fertile environment for translational research, and providing a vertically integrated
facility that inspires all of these to flourish together under one roof.

A master clinician, Dr. Fleming is consistently recognized by "Best Doctors in America"
and has received many awards both locally and nationally. Over the course of his career,
Dr. Fleming
has authored more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented more
than 100 talks nationally and internationally. He also has a deep interest in healthcare
policy and a long and
outstanding record of service to multiple organizations. He has served as president
of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Tennessee
Medical
Association. He is also on the council of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
and chair of the American Medical Association's southeast delegation. He has traveled
the world with
ORBIS International and the World Cataract Foundation, volunteering his surgical
expertise to improve the sight and lives of disadvantaged people in developing nations.

Dr. Fleming's wife of more than 35 years, Anne, is a UTHSC College of Nursing graduate.
They are the proud parents of two daughters, Rebecca and Katherine, who are both physicians,
and they have two granddaughters, Norah and Gabriela.